Park Photos Win Belfast City Council Competition

Belfast City Council's photographic competition has recognised captures of the city's parks, with winners announced across four categories.

The competition, sponsored by McQuillan Companies, featured images of locations including Cave Hill Country Park, Falls Park, Victoria Park, Ormeau Park, Botanic Gardens, and Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park.

Winners were awarded in the categories of "Park Landscapes," "Seasons in our Parks," "People in our Parks," and "Under 16s" at a special event in Malone House.

The winners are:

Park Landscapes:

• 1st: Richard Elley (Falls Park)

• 2nd: Ciara Dreelan (Cave Hill Country Park)

• 3rd: Stephen Gibson (Victoria Park)

Seasons in our Parks:

• 1st: Stephen Martin (Ormeau Park)

• 2nd: William Corr (Cave Hill Country Park)

• 3rd: Claire Mitchell (Cherryvale Park)

People in our Parks:

• 1st: David Mills (Botanic Gardens)

• 2nd: Peter Soult (Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park) • 3rd: Hugh Campbell (Botanic Gardens)

Under 16s:

• 1st: Zoia Wilkowska (Lagan Meadows)

• 2nd: Micah Hill (Cave Hill Country Park)

• 3rd: Jack Kirkpatrick (Victoria Park)

Councillor Ruth Brooks, Chair of the council's People and Communities Committee, said: "Congratulations to all the winners of this year's Belfast Parks Photographic Competition. There were so many great entries and the judges had a very hard task of choosing the three winners for each category. This competition has been running for many years now and it's always wonderful to see the stunning and differing captures of our parks and open spaces from the entries. Our parks and open spaces continue to be a valuable asset to our city contributing to the health and well-being of our residents and visitors and the nature and wildlife living within them."

The winners included 9-year-old Zoia Wilkowska and 11-year-old Jack Kirkpatrick, highlighting the talent of young photographers in the city.